The VVS Laxman Tribute Thread

[Teja.]

He's retired with immediate effect.

There were certainly a few better batsmen in my watching days but I highly doubt anyone as special as Laxman. I reckon I'll see a few more Tendulkar-like run machines in the coming decades but it's hard to have a career like Laxman, really.

He has played half a dozen knocks which if played by anyone else would be the peak moment of their career and his best knock out of those is arguably the peak moment of the game's career itself.

Goodbye.

 

[burr]

One of my favourites - a privilege to have witnessed him live and, despite the pain inflicted, I am pleased he saved his best performances for matches against Australia and thus provided me with so much viewing pleasure. 17 centuries in 134 matches suggests he underperformed, but he certainly utilised that supreme talent in the big moments and will be remembered longer and more fondly than many with better statistics and more runs. His wristy on drive was one of the great shots of the modern era and his career defining double ton in 2001 was an epic for the ages. Well played sir.

 

[Spark]

Without question the Indian batsman I feared most.

 

[Shri]

Another fat hyderabadi who was awesome. Teja being the first. Is it an insult? Is it a compliment? Who gives a ****?

 

[Jono]

What a great man. In the NZ thread I was saying it was time for him to go but said its not his fault he was in the line-up, and that the selectors should drop him.

Instead the great man has called stumps. What a terrific career. Had the pleasure of briefly meeting VVS, and he was an absolute gentleman.

 

[Xuhaib]

One of the very best will miss those wrists.

 

[smash84]

Another fat hyderabadi who was awesome. Teja being the first. Is it an insult? Is it a compliment? Who gives a ****?

Take a bow VVS

 

[Dissector]

He ended with a couple of weak away series but he was great for around 10 years from 2001 to 2010, arguably the best Indian batsman over that period. His 281 is certainly the greatest test innings by an Indian and one of the 2-3 best innings by anyone.

 

[Burgey]

Without question the Indian batsman I feared most.

This.

Clutch player so many times against us, and made it look easy so often. He and Dravid my favourite Indian batsmen of this era.

 

[Daemon]

Never got to witness the 281, but I still remember how he got us over the line against Australia with Ishant Sharma. Wasn't the best of his innings and he used a runner, but he's still left me with that and a few other awesome memories.

Just Tendulkar left now, both Dravid and Laxman gone

Dark days lie ahead when Jeetan Patel rips into our fragile middle order.

 

[ankitj]

Teja paying tribute with his avatar too

 

[ankitj]

Never got to witness the 281, but I still remember how he got us over the line against Australia with Ishant Sharma. Wasn't the best of his innings and he used a runner, but he's still left me with that and a few other awesome memories.

Disagree with bolded part. He scored nearly at run a ball despite denying a lot of singles. It was a masterclass with a lot of good attacking shots.

 

[Teja.]

At 120-8 and Laxman hunchbacked, no-one back then gave India a chance really. It was one of the craziest passages of play I've seen in my life.

I think it was Brumby who said Australia had no right to lose that match. ****ing insane innings.

It was not even his best innings for the year - which was the 96 against SA in Durban when Steyn was absolutely rampant with nobody else on either side making more than 39( and Laxman scoring 38 in his other innings ) on either side in the entire game. Laxman did ****all for the entire series and averaged 30-odd but batting-wise almost single-handedly won us the only game we won that series by top scoring in both innings. Sums up his career, really.

I'll also include that 2010 also had a 91 against NZ (worst umpiring call this side of 2000 to deny him, too) from when the score was 15-5 within five minutes of his coming in and a match-winning and series-saving fourth innings ton when chasing a tricky target in SL and Randiv and the pitch were looking dangerous.

It's pretty sad that twenty years from now some **** will look at those scores as merely 73, 96, 91, 105 - They were worth so much more.

In fact in every significant victory in 2010, which was the Indian test team's 'No.1' pinnacle year, Laxman played a significant role. In addition to the clutch knocks mentioned above, he scored 143* in the same year in Kolkota against SA in the win to square the series. I know Zaheer, Tendulkar and Sehwag deservedly get the most credit for getting to the top but Laxman was the single most important player in us maintaining it, in my opinion, for that brief stretch of time.

 

[Teja.]

Teja paying tribute with his avatar too

Haha, In my defence, I've grown quite fond of it.

 

[vic_orthdox]

Never got to witness the 281, but I still remember how he got us over the line against Australia with Ishant Sharma. Wasn't the best of his innings and he used a runner, but he's still left me with that and a few other awesome memories.

Just Tendulkar left now, both Dravid and Laxman gone

Dark days lie ahead when Jeetan Patel rips into our fragile middle order.

It was cruel in a way, we were coming up against the constant thorn in our side who was lame.

And he still pulled it over us, as easy as you like. Even the fact that he showed his human side towards the end, because Ojha (from memory) stuffed up, it was like an angry director annoyed that everything didn't go towards his precise plan.

 

[blahblahblah]

will miss him

 

[Red]

Averaged 50 against Australia during Australia's era of McGrath, Gillespie and Warne.

Outstanding.

I remember this test well. One of the greatest test victories ever, largely thanks to VVS. Bizarre test.

2nd Test: India v Australia at Kolkata, Mar 11-15, 2001 | Cricket Scorecard | ESPN Cricinfo

One of the great innings in all test match history....

 

[Debris]

The Indian batsmen that all Australians feared the most.

 

[G.I.Joe]

Legend. He'll be missed dearly.

 

[Shri]

Remember seeing the 281 test live but the only thing I remember from that day is this awesome tandoori chicken I was having for lunch while watching that innings. Don't remember much of the innings though except a few appeals and boundaries on the on-side.